Ron Paul: Why is US involved in Ukraine?

The United States is being hypocritical in its response to the armed clashes between Kiev and pro-Russian groups in eastern Ukraine, former Congressman Ron Paul wrote in a new column.

In the column, published by the Ron Paul Institute for Peace
and Prosperity, the former libertarian lawmaker questioned the
American role in the conflict unfolding in Ukraine, criticizing
the US for blaming recent outbreaks of violence on Russian
sympathizers rather than the Ukrainian military.

The column comes just a few days after the Ukrainian military
killed about 20 people in Mariupol, where the country's Interior
Ministry claimed that pro-Russia militants attempted to seize the
local police building. Residents in the area, meanwhile, stated
that local police did not want to take orders from Kiev, and that
sparked a response by the military that ended up engulfing
outsiders who arrived in support of the officers.

Following a statement by the US State Department that pinned the
blame on pro-Russia separatists, Paul wrote the American
government should not support Ukraine’s use of military force
against its own people, particularly if they are unarmed.

According to Paul, this position is a reversal of what the US was
saying before protesters effectively overthrew their former
government in Kiev, led by former president Viktor Yanukovich.
During that time, the US urged the government not to respond with
violence when protesters stormed buildings. “But now that
those former protesters have come to power,” Paul wrote,
“the US takes a different view of protest.”

“The US sees this as a Russian-sponsored destabilization
effort, but is it so hard to understand that the people in
Ukraine may be annoyed with the US and EU for their involvement
in regime change in their country?” he asked. “Would we
be so willing to accept an unelected government in Washington put
in place with the backing of the Chinese and Iranians?”

Paul also criticized the US for threatening to implement
additional sanctions against Russia should votes for increased
autonomy move forward in eastern Ukraine. Although Russian
President Vladimir Putin called for a delay in the vote, it went
ahead anyway, a development that Paul believes shows Russia is
not in control of the anti-Kiev movement.

Finally, Paul questioned why the US is involved in Ukraine at
all.

“We are broke,” he wrote. “We cannot even afford to
fix our own economy. Yet we want to run Ukraine? Does it really
matter who Ukrainians elect to represent them? Is it really a
national security matter worth risking a nuclear war with Russia
whether Ukraine votes for more regional autonomy and a weaker
central government?”